Last year, we received the exciting news that Homeless International had been chosen to record an appeal for BBC Radio 4. The appeal was broadcast on 2nd March and was presented by Channel 4 News’ Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who spoke about the conditions experienced by thousands of slum and pavement dwelling families across India.
For example, the city of Mumbai has a population of about 12 million people. With house prices in the city as high as in New York or Tokyo, more than half of the population have no other choice but to live in slums, and more than 25,000 families live in tiny huts along the pavements of busy roads, in polluted and dangerous locations. Despite the fact that slum dwellers play a huge role in the economics of the city, they do not own the land they live on and continually face the threat of evictions and having their huts and livelihoods destroyed by city authorities. Similar conditions are experienced by thousands more families in other Indian cities.
Pavement dwellers and many slum dwellers often have no access to clean water or toilets, and instead must to go to the toilet outside in the open. The situation is especially horrendous for women who, to protect their modesty, do not relieve themselves during the day but instead wait until nightfall before crossing a busy road to a more private spot. Unsurprisingly, these women often suffer from illness and infections. Thousands of families across India live in this way and they all share one dream: to live in safe and secure houses, with access to clean water and toilet facilities.
One of Homeless International’s long-term partners in India is the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC). All donations to the appeal will be used to support SPARC’s work with slum and pavement dwelling communities across India, who are developing their own solutions to the problems they face. For example, SPARC will work with these communities to organise into collective groups, gather information about their needs, take part in exchanges with other communities, and negotiate with city authorities for access to land on which they can build housing and toilet facilities. These communities will eventually be able to design, construct and maintain their own houses and toilets.
The response to the appeal has been fantastic, raising over £54,000 to support slum communities across India. A huge thank you goes to each and every individual who gave their support.
